ORLANDO, Fla. — Over the last 10 games, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has looked like himself again. He’s averaging 28.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists along with 1.2 blocks and shooting 51.3% from the floor.

The big fella has had to work his way back from multiple knee surgeries and a variety of ailments, but he appears to be back looking like himself again. That’s a big development for the Sixers as they look to make a run at their first championship since 1983.

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With that being said, does Embiid have an All-Star case? The East has some legitimate big men in the form of Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons, Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks, and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat just to name a few. However, Embiid’s recent play may give him a case to make the All-Star game for the first time since 2023.

“Am I gonna make it?” Embiid smiled after Friday’s win over the Orlando Magic. “I think I should. I don’t think we’re pushing it enough. I think I got pretty good stats. So, maybe you guys should put the word out that Joel Embiid is back.”

The fact that Embiid is even being mentioned as a potential All-Star in 2026 is something that not a lot of people–if any–saw coming. The big fella had a miserable 2024-25 season and had to overcome yet another left knee surgery. Now, the 2023 MVP winner is looking like he is on a mission as he has been back on the floor.

“We’re just playing good basketball,” Embiid added. “I’m just happy to be playing consistently every night. I miss it. I hate sitting on the bench and looking at the stands and watching all these people that came to watch, and I’m not able to kind of give them something to watch. I’m just happy to be out there playing every single night.”

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With that being said, should Embiid end up at the All-Star game on Feb. 15 out at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, one has to wonder who he would play for. The format is USA vs. World and with Embiid having ties both to the US from his time playing for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics as well as being a native of Cameroon, one has to wonder who he would play for.

“For me, I’m part of the whole world,” he smiled again. “If they pick me—I think I should be, if they picked me, I wasn’t planning on it, but I guess, since you’re talking about it, maybe there’s a chance. But I’m from Cameroon, first. I’m always gonna be from Cameroon. So, obviously I would play for the US, but I’m always gonna represent Cameroon first.”

If Embiid can continue playing at a high level, one has to wonder if he will certainly give himself a strong case for the roster.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers’ Joel Embiid opens up on potential All-Star return appearance